Oppression in My Country: The New Age and the Struggle to Stay Human
This essay explores how the pursuit of power—whether for political gain, personal survival, or revenge—often leads to oppression. Both Scripture and the K-drama My Country: The New Age reveal the tragic cost of building our own kingdoms apart from God.
Is power worth gaining if it costs our soul, our relationships, or our humanity?
Oppression can happen at every level—from individual relationships to entire societies. When people prioritize “my country” (my goals, my power) over God’s kingdom, injustice becomes normalized. Humanity is trapped in the problem and a part of the problem. History shows that the oppressed often become oppressors when given power. A biblical example is Israel: once cruelly enslaved in Egypt, they later cruelly enslaved foreigners, repeating the very injustice once done to them. Similarly, My Country: The New Age explores how, in the pursuit of power and survival, people become both victims and perpetrators of oppression.
A Tale of Two Friends: Hwi vs. Sun-ho
Set during the violent transition from the Goryeo to Joseon dynasties in 14th-century Korea, My Country unfolds during a time of political chaos, civil war, and betrayal.
Prince Bang-won—a real historical figure—helped overthrow the Goryeo dynasty and later became King Taejong, the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty. His rise to power was marked by ruthless ambition, political purges, and even the murder of his own family members to secure the throne.
Against this backdrop, the drama follows two childhood friends—Seo Hwi, the poor son of a disgraced general, and Nam Sun-ho, the illegitimate son of a nobleman. They begin as brothers in arms but become enemies, only to reconcile later. Their paths diverge in how they fight to protect what they love.
As power changes hands, the show reveals how easily people justify evil in the name of “necessary sacrifice.”
Hwi and Sun-ho are mirror images of each other. Hwi, initially, is motivated from a place of selflessness, enduring injustice to protect others. Hwi and his sister Yeon are orphaned at a very young age after their father, their single parent and provider, is framed and is forced to commit suicide at a public execution in front of Hwi and Yeon, severely traumatizing both children. Hwi and Yeon subsequently endure a difficult life. As Hwi grows up, he is unjustly enlisted and endures being ripped away from Yeon and sent into a bloody battle. Although he survives, oppression and further cruelty gives birth to anger and rage - which begins to cloud his judgment and steer his decisions. Sun-ho, meanwhile, acts from a deep emotional hunger. He longs for approval from a father who rejects him and for validation from a society that devalues and harasses him. His pursuit of power becomes a desperate attempt to prove his worth.
Though Hwi’s motivations may seem more righteous, both men are ultimately driven by pain, and both leave destruction behind. Whether the initial or later motivations were selfless or selfish, both of their actions led them down paths where they lost sight of their original values. In trying to protect what they love—or to avenge it—they each become part of the system they once opposed and despised.
The moment when Hwi realizes his participation in the system of oppression is when he sees the lifeless body of the innocent young crown prince being held by his father, murdered by Prince Bang-won’s men. Hwi is devastated and shocked by the atrocity he helped commit. Later, Prince Bang-won confronts him:
Bang-won: “Don’t say you weren’t expecting it. I had to kill my brother to take my father down.”
Hwi: “I don’t know what I’ve done. Too many people have died just for me to get revenge.”
Bang-won: “It was no one’s fault. We did what we had to. You got your revenge, and I started a revolution.”
How many times have we told ourselves the same thing? “We did what we had to.” But at what cost?
"What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, but yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36)
“Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” — John 12:25
Power That Leads to Oppression
Many characters in My Country hurt others for a so-called greater good. Prince Bang-won begins with noble ideals—fighting for the abandoned and overlooked—but achieves them through violence, betrayal, and manipulation. Early in the series, he frames Hwi’s father to advance his political agenda.
Hwi expresses hope for Prince Bang-won’s vision of a nation built for the abandoned and overlooked:
“Your Highness’s country is the country of the abandoned. I wish to see it with you.”
Yet, despite this hopeful ideal, Bang-won’s methods soon reveal the tragic cost of such a dream.
Even Sun-ho, who dreams of a nation free from discrimination against people like him, becomes what he once despised. In pursuit of a better world, he quotes his abusive father without realizing it:
“The one who hesitates will die first.”
“Death is a necessary cost.”
In our world, we echo these ideas in phrases like “It’s a dog-eat-dog world.” We redefine good and evil to justify survival—but in doing so, we dehumanize others and ourselves.
Later in the series, Sun-ho admits:
“I always thought I had two choices in life—the worst and the second-worst choice—but there could have been another, and I might have knowingly ignored that option.”
This line speaks to all of us. It reveals that Sun-ho is not only oppressed by society but also by his own choices. Like him, we are often captives to our sin, our desires, and our pride—and need a Saviour.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour… to comfort all who mourn…
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour.”
— Isaiah 61:1–3 (NIV)
Where Does Our Identity Come From?
Our identity shapes our choices. The world tells us to gain influence and power to survive—but what if the cost is too high?
Near the end of the series, Hwi, Chi-do, and Sun-ho arrive at the village of Hwi’s father's people; the people he fought alongside and those he protected—a sanctuary for the forgotten. It symbolizes the kind of kingdom God is building: a place of refuge, rest, and transformation.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” — Matthew 11:28–29
In Christ, we are invited into a kingdom that is not built on survival or status, but on mercy, justice, and dignity. Every human being is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and no one is expendable for the sake of ambition or the desire for power.
We often treat mercy as weakness and wield justice as a weapon when it suits us. But God calls us to something better: a kingdom where justice is rooted in righteousness, not revenge. True power lies in the choice not to oppress—even when we can.
Conclusion: Whose Kingdom Are You Building?
My Country shows how easily the pursuit of power leads to oppression—of others and ourselves.
Through the contrast between Hwi and Sun-ho, we’re forced to ask what are we willing to sacrifice in the name of power or survival, and is it worth gaining the world if we lose our soul in the process?
As The Bible Project says:
“We all participate in injustice—actively, passively, or unknowingly. We're all guilty. But God’s response is to give us a gift: Jesus. He lived a life of righteousness and justice, yet died on behalf of the guilty. Now, God offers Jesus’s life to the guilty—not because of what they’ve done, but because of what He’s done for them.”
As Sun-ho dies in Hwi’s arms, he says:
“I only looked too far ahead and too far up. When I finally looked behind me, I saw you and Yeon. My country was just one step behind me. If only I had known that sooner.”
And Han Hui-jae reflects:
“We all have a country we wish to protect. Even though we break, snap, and crumble, we can’t give up on our nation—because that nation is equal to our lives.”
The story of My Country reveals how easily we trade our souls for control. But Jesus offers another way—a kingdom not built on domination, but on mercy, sacrifice, and justice.
So again we must ask:
Whose kingdom are we building?
And what will it cost us to keep building it?
Works Cited
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